WV / county FIPS 54069 / county research

Ohio County, West Virginia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Ohio County is 167.9 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Esophagus deaths at 1.9 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.6 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 245 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (117), Air permit holder (minor source) (35), Brownfield property (30). EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 40 in a million, driven mainly by formaldehyde.

Rates are age-adjusted per 100,000 people. A cancer signal is marked significant when the lower bound of its 95 percent confidence interval is above the U.S. rate. Facility counts use active federal records located inside the county boundary. Approximate county center: 40.1009, -80.6142.

How this county ranks in West Virginia

View on the heat map Scan an address in this county

Cancer deaths and new cases versus the United States

Source: NCI and CDC State Cancer Profiles, both sexes, all ages. Sorted by the ratio of the county rate to the U.S. rate.

Cancer rates for Ohio County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	New cases	9	4.6	1.96xSignificant	5.8 to 13.5	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	7.2	3.7	1.95xSignificant	4.4 to 11.3	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	46.9	30.2	1.55xSignificant	39.8 to 55.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	72.2	51.8	1.39xSignificant	63 to 82.5	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	30.5	23.8	1.28xSignificant	24.2 to 38	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	23.5	18.7	1.26x	18.5 to 29.8	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	5.1	4.1	1.24x	2.9 to 8.5	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	167.9	143.2	1.17xSignificant	153.6 to 183.2	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	13.9	13	1.07x	9.2 to 20.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.1	4.8	1.06x	2.9 to 8.5	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	478.2	453.4	1.05x	452.7 to 505	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.9	17.9	1x	13.1 to 24	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.5	18.5	1x	13.7 to 24.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.6	13.9	0.98x	9.7 to 18.8	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5.4	5.7	0.95x	3.2 to 9	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	10.7	11.3	0.95x	7.2 to 15.5	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	13	14.5	0.9x	9.1 to 18.3	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	5.6	6.6	0.85x	3.3 to 9.3	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	6.8	8.7	0.78x	4.3 to 10.6	2019-2023

Mortality measures versus the U.S. county median

Source: County Health Rankings, built from CDC National Vital Statistics System death records. The comparison value is the median of all U.S. counties.

Mortality measures for Ohio County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	11,927.3	9,842.6	+21%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	73.2	75.3	-3%	years
Child mortality	34.6	59.8	-42%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	n/a	6.2	n/a	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	128.6	96.9	+33%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	74	28.6	+159%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 40 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde21.17 per million
Benzene6.12 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.91 per million
Acetaldehyde1.96 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 278 days: 225 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 40, peak 97.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

245 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit117
Air permit holder (minor source)35
Brownfield property30
Gas station (mapped facility)18
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)12
Small hazardous waste generator12
TRI reporting facility4
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)4
Large hazardous waste generator3
Major air pollution source2
EPA air quality monitor1
Airfield1
Commercial airport1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Hazardous waste transporter1
Heliport1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)1

Highest-severity records

The 25 records with the highest Envyrofax severity in the county, with the agency identifier to cite in a records request.

Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc., Wheeling
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $12,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000344609 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.6
Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc., Wheeling
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $12,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000344609 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Swisher International Inc, Wheeling
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nicotine and salts. 1,750 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26003SWSHR4000W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.5
Safety-Kleen Systems Wheeling (Whe), Wheeling
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene glycol, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Lead, Polycyclic aromatic compounds. Reports carcinogens. 13 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26003SFTYK10IND (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.4
City Of Wheeling - Water Pollution Control Division, Wheeling
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064602434 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
, Wheeling
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 540690010 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 5.1
Aes Industries Inc, Wheeling
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070642531 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.1
Swisher Intl Inc, Wheeling
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001930769 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.1
Aes Industries Inc, Wheeling
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Copper, Chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22). 423 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2600WSNDST127PE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5
Village Of Clearview Wastewater Collection System, Wheeling
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010860149 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Franklin Woods Subd., Triadelphia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $6,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010878176 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Savage Construction Company, Wheeling
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010851550 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Huff Run Amd Plant, West Liberty
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010857082 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Warwood Tool, Wheeling, Wv 26003
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064451935 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Tunnel Ridge Deep Mine, Triadelphia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069595389 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Tunnel Ridge Coal Mine, Prep. Plant, Refuse Facility, Coal Loading Facility, Wheeling
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069994897 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Middle Creek Garage, Triadelphia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071096898 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Nail City Bronze Inc, Wheeling
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001931116 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Heart 2 Heart Volunteers Inc, Wheeling
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010878318 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Mm Pa 638, Wheeling
Small hazardous waste generator. Penalties $13,350.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070640160 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Consol Innovations Llc, Triadelphia
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070648335 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Consol Innovations Llc, Triadelphia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070648335 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Wheeling Travelcenter #0032, Valley Grove
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010858081 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Wheeling Wtp, Wheeling
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064575286 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Appalachia Midstream Services, Llc, Battle Run, Valley Grove
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110063230150 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5

Correctional facilities

Prisons, jails and corrections operations with an EPA facility record, and the drinking water and wastewater compliance attached to them.

No correctional facility with an EPA record is located in this county.

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Ohio County

West Virginia state cancer registry
Cancer incidence counts by census tract or ZIP code, by cancer type and year (de-identified). Any cancer cluster inquiries or investigations in Ohio County, and their findings.
West Virginia vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
West Virginia health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
West Virginia environmental agency and the U.S. EPA regional office
Compliance history, inspection reports, notices of violation, penalties and enforcement actions for each facility above, cited by EPA FRS registry ID.
West Virginia drinking water program
Violation notices, sampling results and sanitary surveys for the public water systems serving the county, including any system serving a correctional facility.
Department of corrections or county sheriff
Water testing, grievances and environmental health inspections for the correctional facilities listed above.

Each Envyrofax address report includes a printable records request worksheet with the custodian and the exact request wording per finding.

Scan an address in Ohio County View on the heat map All West Virginia counties